The Wisconsin Badgers finally found some good quarterback play on Saturday, and it came from freshman Ryan Hopkins. He threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, leading the Badgers to a 31-10 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Luke Fickell’s quarterback situation should be pretty clear right now after Hopkins' performance against Rutgers. Wisconsin became bowl eligible for the first time since 2023, and the freshman gave the offense something it had been missing for much of the season.

But is Wisconsin’s quarterback situation really as settled as it appears? While Fickell announced that Hopkins would start against Maryland on Saturday, he also alluded to the possibility that Colton Joseph could have a role in the offense going forward.

Hopkins Has Earned the Right to Run Wisconsin's Offense

Hopkins’ first start for the Badgers was impressive. He completed 75 percent of his passes with no interceptions and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday for his performance against Rutgers.

Wisconsin’s offense had struggled to find consistency in the passing game before Hopkins took over as the starter. Colton Joseph had thrown for fewer than 100 yards in each of the three games before being benched in the 30-0 loss to Iowa.

Against Rutgers, Hopkins connected with Eugene Hilton Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter, found Ryan Schwendeman for an 11-yard score in the third, and hooked up with Jacob Harris for a 66-yard touchdown in the fourth.

Sure, he had a fumble in the game and an interception that was called back because of a penalty. But those are freshman mistakes. He’s going to make some mistakes in his first career start. Overall, though, he looked good.

The biggest thing Wisconsin had been missing was a quarterback who could make some plays in the passing game. Hopkins proved that he could do that against Rutgers.

The Badgers should let Hopkins run with the offense and see what he can do in the last three games of the season.

Fickell Risks Creating a Controversy That Doesn't Need to Exist

On Monday, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell confirmed that Hopkins would start the Badgers’ game on Saturday against Maryland. Fickell also spoke about finding ways to utilize both of the team’s quarterbacks.

“We’ve got two guys that can run an offense,” Fickell said. “Ryan played well enough for us to win a football game. Ryan’s going to continue to get better. Colton has played really well for us to win big football games."

It's great to have two quarterbacks on the roster who can play. This season has been full of injuries and struggles on offense, so having another option on the team is important.

However, having Joseph on the sidelines in case of an injury is very different from attempting to find playing time for the Old Dominion transfer.

Joseph had his opportunity to lead the offense, and while he showed toughness, grit and allegedy played through injuries, the passing attack struggled to find consistency.

Hopkins has provided the Wisconsin offense with a much-needed spark, and the Badgers need to ride that momentum. There is no reason to bring in Joseph just to give him playing time.

That could become the center of attention and cause more distractions than any of the other issues the Badgers are currently dealing with on offense.

The last thing Wisconsin needs is a quarterback controversy after finally getting some momentum on offense.

Wisconsin Needs to Let Hopkins Build on His Success

Wisconsin is 6-3 on the season and will play in a bowl game for the first time since 2023. There are three games left on the schedule for the Badgers, with games against Maryland, Purdue, and Minnesota.

The Badgers’ freshman can use these games to continue to grow and become the player Wisconsin fans hope he can be. Every game he starts is valuable experience for him running the offense.

While it is clear that Hopkins is the man right now, Joseph should not be forgotten. He's played a lot of football for Wisconsin and has had some big moments. He could be called upon in the event of an injury or in a situation where Wisconsin needs another quarterback to help the team win.

Still, there’s no reason to play Joseph unless Hopkins is injured or is playing terribly.

Now, Hopkins deserves a chance to show what he can do against the Terps on Saturday.

Fickell finally has a quarterback decision that worked out for the best. He shouldn’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.